Looking for laptop recommendations

[Zephyr]

First of all, I'll like to thank anyone for their time in reading this.

Well, I'm looking for a laptop with a decent graphic card. I was looking through websites and I need help looking for a graphic card. I don't know if I need a geforce go 7300, 7400, or a 7600. The only games I play at the moment is counterstrike 1.6 and Last Chaos. I'm looking for a laptop with an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, any amount of ram (I can add my own ram in there), and a decent amount of battery life.

I also need help looking for laptop brands. I was considering Dell, but I've heard mixed responses about them, and now I'm looking at a Sony but they're expensive.

For my notebook cooler, I was considering the ZALMAN Ultra Quiet Notebook Cooler.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998051

Any thoughts are welcomed.

 

[lostandwandering]

Dell, HP, Gateway or Asus, those would be my picks. Avoid Sony. No matter what you hear about Dell, Sony is much worse and their prices suck. Do you have a price limit? This would help a lot.

Depending on the laptop you may not need the cooler. Only heavy duty gaming notebooks tend to get really hot. Mid-ranges not so much.

 

[Zephyr]

Oh ok. Well, what kind of graphic card would best suit then? Cause the only games I'm playing at the moment are CS 1.6 and Last Chaos.

 

[lostandwandering]

I don't know much about chaos, but with CS a 7600,7700,X1600,X1700 or 7900GS would be fine. It's not a very graphically demanding game, so if your CPU is good you will have no problems with any of those cards.

If you want me to recommend some laptops, give me a price range and I would be happy to help.

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks. Uhh, I'm thinking my price range would be 1500 to maybe even 1800? Hopefully that'll include tax, shipping, cooler, and notebook bag. I would like my notebook to be nice and cool, so that's why I'm buying a notebook cooler.

 

[lostandwandering]

OK then:
Dell Inspiron E1705 17'': Core2 T7200, 1 gig, 7900GS,80gig 7200 rpm and carrying case for about 1850. (google "Dell coupons" to get rebates up to $500)

HP DV9000t 17'': Core2 T7200, 1 gig, 7600, 80 gig 5400 rpm for about 1550.

Asus F3JP 15.4'': Core2 T7200, 1 gig, X1700, 120 gig 5400 rpm for about 1200 w/ carrying case.

Gateway NX680X 17'': Core2 T7200, 1 gig, 7600, 80 gig 7200 rpm for about 1800 w/ backpack.

Gateway NX680XL same as above but w/ 7900GS and 2 gigs for about 1820 w/ backpack.

Asus A8JS: Core2 T7200, 1 gig, 7700, 120 gig 5400 rpm for about 1500 w/ backpack.

For a smattering of screen sizes.

All Dell, HP and gateway prices courtesy of their respective websites. All Asus prices courtesy of newegg.com.

 

[Zephyr]

Oh wow. Thanks. Well, I'm looking for a laptop screen that's about 15.4 or 14.1. Is a geforce go 7300 or 7400 good enough for my needs? And what do you think about the laptop cooler I'm looking at?

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834998051

 

[lostandwandering]

If you go by the laptops I listed then my choices would be:
15.4: F3JP
14.1: A8JS

I forgot to list the screen size of the A8, it's 14.1 and would play both of the games you like. I think the 7400 may push it a little, but it might be ok.

I personally have never used a laptop cooler, but Zalman has a great reputation for desktop fans and CPU/GPU HSFs. The customer reviews of that model seem good, so I would say go for it.

 

[seeratlas]

zephyr, if you're going to game, i'd consider the 17" models, for two reasons, better cooling, and much better screens.

If i were you, i'd take a long hard look at the hp dv9207us that comp usa has on sale right now for 799.00 after rebate.

hp's website intimates that the core duo processor in there can be upgraded to a 7200 but I'd search the web for someone who has taken one apart and knows for sure. If that is the case, and I believe it may very well be, then you would have one heck of a nice lappie for far less money than any of the others.

the hp comes with hdmi out (you can cable to your hdtv; a tv tuner and remote, lots of ports, the 7600go which will run the games you listed easily, a lightscribe dvd dual layer dvd burner etc. 120gig hd, with space for a second drive for raid etc., in short, its a lot of laptop for that price. if you can upgrade to the 7200 then its a no brainer.

http/www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344794&pfp=apr29#ts

take a look or better yet, run down to your local comp usa and play with it. It's a very nice box, and its not ll that much bigger than a 15. i was going to get a 15 too till i saw the same game on both screens. There are lots of customer reviews on the net, and they rate it very very high.

seer

 

[ironhell]

If you go by the laptops I listed then my choices would be:
15.4: F3JP
14.1: A8JS

I forgot to list the screen size of the A8, it's 14.1 and would play both of the games you like. I think the 7400 may push it a little, but it might be ok.

I personally have never used a laptop cooler, but Zalman has a great reputation for desktop fans and CPU/GPU HSFs. The customer reviews of that model seem good, so I would say go for it.

I second the A8JS. I have it with the 7700 v.card in it. I don't think I've seen a 14.1" with a better v.card.

 

[lostandwandering]

It's not a bad laptop, but the upgrades you suggest would add another 400 at least to the price. Plus, most people are not comfortable with the idea of messing around with more than just the RAM on laptops. Like I said it's not bad, but zephyr seems to want something a bit more portable than that notebook. IMO, that screen res is really low for a 17'' laptop. It should at least be WSXGA.

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks, but after hearing all the good reviews about Asus, I think I'll stick with them. Here's some Asus Laptops I found.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220123

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220089

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220137

What's the difference between the A8 series, F3 series and the W3 series?

 

[Zephyr]

Thanks, but after hearing all the good reviews about Asus, I think I'll stick with them. Here's some Asus Laptops I found.

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220123

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220089

http/www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220137

What's the difference between the A8 series, F3 series and the W3 series?

 

[ironhell]

I can't tell you what the differences are off the top of my head - take a look around on http/www.notebookreview.com/ for reviews. Sites such as newegg.com, Amazon.com, and ASUS.com can prove to be beneficial to answer some of your questions.

Do what I did and check out Xoticpc.com They have a great selection of ASUS on hand that you can customize. Do the live chat and talk to either Justin or Amber to get as much info as you want.

Do a price comparison and see what you think.

Here's my review of xoticpc.com: http/forumz.tomshardware.com/mobile/XoticPc-ftopict48450.html

 

[lostandwandering]

Well, to start, you have two A8's listed and one W3. The W3 you linked has a slower CPU and a slightly slower GPU. The first A8 you linked has windows XP and the other has Vista. You asked about the F3, it has a 15.4'' screen compared to the 14.1 of the others. Aside from those, there isn't much difference.

 

[Zephyr]

Oh wow, thanks for the help everybody. Well, I settled for a Asus laptop. Now, I need help picking out a screen size and case. Because I read that a few of the Asus laptops have bad cooling(I think vents have something to do with this). So I want to pick a laptop with good cooling. And I also need help picking a either 15.4 or a 14.1 screen size. Thanks for the help you guys!

 

[lostandwandering]

Well, screen size is all personal preference. The easiest way to choose is to go down to your local Staples or some place that sells laptops and take a look at the screen. If you are worried about the temps of your laptop, you can always purchase a notebook cooler. It is a pad with a couple of fans that move air away from the bottom of the laptop and are usually powered by a couple of USB connectors.

 

[ironhell]

Be sure to look into the max resolution too.

I chose the 14.1" because I wanted maximum portability (without going TOO small like... well, anything smaller than 14.1").

It's a matter of opportunity cost - space/weight vs just a bit more visibility, your call.

Keep in mind that ultimately, the difference comes down to the dimensions and less about the weight (15.4" weights just a tad more than 14.1" from what I've seen.) So think about how the laptop will fit/sit inside your backpack/case.

 

[seeratlas]

Portability is a relative term. In actual usage, the difference between using a 12 " vs. a 15" amounts to nothing, EXCEPT, typing is generally a bit cramped on the 12, and you can't see as well, your graphics is invariably less powerful, and heat related problems are greater...

This is just my opinion, but I've been doing this since compaq put out their first xt luggable (crt sewing machine case sized 'portable' at around 30 lbs depending on what was inside). What I've found is that there is an initial 'gadgetness' attached to the latest, smallest, etc. Everyone has to have one cause its new, then they try and figure out some way of creating usability to justify having the thing. I can't count the number of people who bought 12's only to leave them at home. Fine for email, and internet chat...but you can do that on a cell phone pda....for a heck of a lot less money.

After years of personally messing about with 14's and 15's, I recently took a long hard look at the 17's. and ended up with 3. What I've found, is that once you get a wheeled case, there is no difference in transportability, zero. One of the 17's has two batteries. With the appropriate settings I can get a hair over 7 hours, seems plenty. The difference in working on the 17 wide screens vs. the lesser machines is astonishing, especially when you work for 8, 10, 12 hours or more a day. The difference in available computer power, both cpu and graphics, is remarkable, even to the degree that now I have officially retired my desktop machines, and use the 17's exclusively.

The bottom line here is, I'd fool around with some laptops for a bit before I made my final decision. With any luck you're going to be living with this thing for several years. Depending on what you're going to do, a 13 or 14 might work out for you....but only you can determine that.

For me, Nvidia discreet graphics, 300 to 400 gig of HD space, 4gig of mem (bout 3.5 actually accessible unless I switch to a 64 bit op system, a full size keyboard, and a screen with fonts that are still readable in the 14th hour, with enough real estate to see documents side by side...well, its just plain worth the extra 1.5" on each side

your mileage may vary.
(oh and asus puts out a good product)

seer

 

[ironhell]

With that said... I am a fan of backpacks - less bulky and cumbersome and just easier for "on-the-go".

The other thing I considered is what a people told me about going on planes or anywhere with limited amount of desktop space. 17" widescreen on a plane isn't going to fare as well as a 14.1".

And now that you mention it, you also want to consider the tradeoff between the power of your v.card vs. your battery life.

You have to evaluate the situations you'll find yourself with your laptop. If you see it sitting at home most of the time (i.e. you don't care for transportation), then go for a 17".